The Internet provides a versatile communication channel for various machines, or communication devices, to communicate with each other. Many applications have been developed to use the Internet to meet various search and communication needs.
For example, search engines provide a powerful tool for locating information in a large database, such as the database of information located on the World Wide Web (WWW). This information is located in response to a query submitted by the user. Typically, a query consists of one or more characters and/or terms.
Using a typical approach, the user enters the query by adding successive terms until all terms are entered. Once the user signals that all the terms of the query have been entered, the query is sent to the search engine. Once the query is received by the search engine, it processes the query, seeks the information responsive to the query, and returns the information to the user.
Because the user is required to undertake the initiative to create and submit the query, the full potential of communicating information between various machines and devices is not realized.